Mystery at the Ravenswood Castle
by SchoolBoredom
Summary: THIS STORY IS ON HOLD UNTIL I GET AROUND TO WRITING THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS I DONT KNOW WHEN THAT WILL BE BUT SINCE I HAVE MANY THINGS GOING ON IN MY LIFE IT WILL BE A WHILE.
1. Prelude

**SB: Another fic? I thought this was going to be a Christmas one?**

_Annie: Yes another one and this is my first Nancy Drew fic that I'm working on. And I changed my mind about it being a Christmas fic._

**SB: So what's this one about?**

_Annie: Read the summary._

Summary: Nancy, Bess, George, Ned, Burt, and Dave met up with the Hardy boys in Greytown Valley where they go to solve a mystery. The eight of them are joined by an old friend from one of Nancy's earlier cases and someone new who is the boyfriend of one of the two girls that invited them down. Once in Greytown Valley they met the two girls and one of them knew the Hardy's before they moved to Bayport, and the other girl has a secret that six other people know about, and a visit from the black sheep of the Hardy family revels a painful past. Will the gang find out WHY the strange things that have been going on? And will they stop it before everything in the castle is stolen? Read to find out! Review and flames welcomed!

**SB: Oh...Kay...and we should warn you this chapter is going to be long.**

_Annie: Right there is a lot of information in here that will be useful later on as well as a lot of things that aren't useful so you better pay attention. Oh and before I forget there will be some weird spelling, like the word dinner is spelled dinnor because that is the way I want it to be spelled, it's supposed to be a French assent there will be other words like it so...DON'T CORROCET ME ON IT! Enjoy!_

**SB: We don't own anything except Alison, Ashley, Ashley's dad and grandmother, Jason, the post office manager, Bruce, Jacob, François, and Jack. You will find out who Jack is later on in the fic.

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A young girl about 19 years old walks down a street, she has inquisitive blue eyes and long strawberry blonde hair, she wears an aqua v neck tee-shirt that show her belly button and dark blue jeans that has four light blue patches, and black ankle high boots, she has on a tiara that is gold and has a blue heart with the symbol of Libra in the middle of it, and a matching chocker neaklis. Her hair comes to her hips, when it is down, but today it is up in a small bun that makes the rest of her hair reach the middle of he back, the rest of it is in a braided ponytail, and she has two purple bows that tie around the bun and the end of the braid. She also has two strips of hair that reach just above her shoulders that are loose and the one on the right is dyed a light blue and the one on the left is a light pink.

She walks along with a smile on her face as she then turns up a walkway and stops in front of a blue house and rings the doorbell.

"Coming!" came a muffled female voice from inside the house and the door opened to revel another young girl who was also about 19 years old. She has bright green eyes and long brown hair that is pulled back into a low ponytail. She has on a green short sleeved tee-shirt and black jeans and black ankle high boots. "Alison! What a surprise! Come in, come in. What are you doing here anyway?" she greeted the girl.

"I came to talk to you about something, Ashley. Two days ago I was asked to be present for a reading of a will of some old guy who has lived in a place known as Greytown Valley." Alison told her friend as they walked into the living room and sat down to talk.

"Really? But why did they ask you to hear the will anyway?" Ashley asked Alison.

"I have come to believe that this man was a friend of my dad's when they were kids and they must have moved away but kept in contact with each other, and this man has willed his home to my father. Well the will really said it was to go to my father and his family, but since I'm the only one of my family left, the place is mine." Alison said.

"Wow that is so cool! I wish I could see the place." Ashley said without knowing that's why Alison was there.

"Actually; that's the reason I'm here." Alison said with a sly smile.

"What a minute! You mean to say that you came here to see if I would accompany you when you go down to Greytown Valley to see this place that you just inherited?" Ashley asked surprised as Alison nodded her head.

"Well you?" asked Alison.

"Of course I will! Though I have to ask dad and gram...wait here. I'll be right back!" Ashley said as she jumped up and hurried off to find her father who was in his study.

"Dad? Can I speak to you for a minute?" she asked her father, who stop what he was doing and looked up to see his daughter in the doorway of his study.

"Of course, what can I do for my dear?" he asked as Ashley walked into the room.

"Alison's in the living room and she asked me to accompany her when she goes to a place know as Greytown Valley. She just inherited a place down there from a friend of her father's. I would like to go with her, I'm not sure when she plans to leave and she's not sure how long she'll be gone. So can I?" Ashley told him.

"Let Ashy go, son. It sound like they'll be busy and having fun as well." Said an old lady who walked into the room where her son and granddaughter were talking.

"Alright, mother. Ashley, you my accompany Alison." Said Ashley's father.

"Thank you dad! Thanks Gram!" Ashley said as she gave them both a hug and left the room and rejoined her friend Alison. "They said yes!"

"Good! I was thinking of leaving in two days. Can you be ready by then?" Alison told her.

"You bet!"

"Good, then I'll go now, I have some things to take care of before we leave and, of course, we have to pack. Bring swimsuits just incase there is a pool." Alison said as she stood up and walked with Ashley to the door.

"I will; see you in two days! Bye Alison."

"Bye Ashley." Alison said as she walked back down the front walk and up the street.

Alison walked into town and to the post office where she asked to speak to the manager and was admitted into a small private office.

"Hello there Miss Alison, what can I do for you?" the manager asked as she sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"I came to talk to you about something. You see I just inherited a place down in Greytown Valley and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I was wondering if by chance that you could forward my mail that comes here, to my place in Greytown Valley until I return here to Waterton Heights. I have the Greytown Valley address here with me." She told him as she pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to him.

The manager took it and looked the address over and then stared into space for awhile, thinking over Alison's request.

"Alright, Alison you got yourself a deal. Since your father helped us out of a tight spot, 25 years ago, it's the lest I can do for is only daughter. When do you plan to leave?" he told her.

"In two days." Was the answer as Alison arose to leave. "Thanks for everything."

"Not a problem." The manager said as Alison left the post office and went to her mansion, so she could decide on what to pack for the trip.

* * *

Two days came and went and Alison and Ashley were at the Waterton Heights Airport. With Alison's boyfriend, Jason McGraw, and Ashley's father and her grandmother, to see them off.

"I can't wait to see the place you inherited Alison." Ashley told her friend.

"I know what you mean I can't either." Alison replied as they took their seats on the plane.

After a three hour flight they arrived in Greytown Valley, which was 200 miles west of Richmond Virgina. They went through the airport and got their bags they stepped outside and hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked them.

"To the Ravenswood estate, please." Alison replied.

"The Ravenswood estate, now? That's a strange place to go to." The diver said.

"What do you mean strange?" Ashley asked worriedly as the driver pulled away from the curb at the airport.

The diver laughed and said not to worry about it, "I just never had a passenger ask me to take them to the Ravenswood estate, that's all."

The girls relaxed and the taxi driver asked them why they wanted to go there anyway. Alison told him that Mr. Ravenswood had willed the place to her father and his family, but since her folks were both dead the place rightfully belonged to her, and she had asked Ashley to accompany her when she came down to look at the place to see what she should do with it, since they both lived in Waterton Heights, Maryland.

Presently they pulled up into a long driveway and up to a beautiful castle that looked like it came from the 1700's or 1800's in England.

"Is this the Ravenswood estate?" Alison asked their taxi driver who laughed when he saw the looks on their faces.

"Yes this is the place. Let me guess you weren't excepting it to be a castle, where you?" he said as the girls shook their heads.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't even KNOW that I inherited a castle, the guy who read the will didn't say what it was and the will didn't mention it either." Alison admitted.

"I should tell you that there is a caretaker and, as I understand it, he's worried about what you plan to do with the place and if you will allow him and his brother to stay here and continue to take care of the place." The driver told them.

"Well we'll have to wait and see but one thing is for sure, if he and his brother want to stay with this place and take care of it, that's fine by me." Alison replied, as the great wooded doors opened to revel the caretaker and his identical twin brother.

"Good afternoon, Bruce, Jacob, this here in the one who inherited the castle, and she brought a friend along for the trip." The taxi driver called out to the two men.

"Hello there, I'm Bruce Whitfield, and this is my identical twin brother Jacob and you two are?" Bruce said as he came down the stairs.

"I'm Alison Abigail Fern and I'm the one who Mr. Ravenswood left his place to." Said Alison as she and Bruce shook hands.

"Actually he left the place to her father and his family but since both of Alison's parents are dead the place is legally hers. And my name is Ashley Calhoun, Alison's friend." Ashley said as she and Bruce shook hands as Alison shook Jacob's hand before Ashley shook his hand as well.

"Welcome to the Ravenswood castle, I'll show you around while Jacob put you things into the rooms you'll have and inform François that you are here." Bruce told them as Alison paid the taxi driver and they went inside.

Two hours later the girls found themselves in the dinning room waiting to be severed dinner. Alison had told Bruce that her mail, which would normally be sent to her home in Waterton Heights, was going to be forward the Ravenswood castle.

'_I wonder what I will do with this place. It is a lovely spot of summer vacation...I could open the castle to visitors and the locals so they could see what this place looks like. Bruce did say that at one point in time this place was a wildlife game perverse...I bet that I could open the grounds to the public as well as the castle and let the people look at the animals, as well as the castle...that would give both Bruce and Jacob jobs to do while I'm in my place back home in Waterton Heights and I could come and visit and spend a month here too. I'll have to mention this to the others.'_ Alison thought to her self as François came out of the kitchen with dinner.

"Good evening, Mademoiselle, good evening Madam, good evening Monsieur Bruce, good evening Monsieur Jaycob. Dinnor is severed." Said François.

"I forgot to warn you girls, François is French and he always calls us Monsieur Bruce and Monsieur Jacob, he also calls all of the ladies Mademoiselle, and it seems like he will call you Madam, Alison." Brucetold Alison and Ashley.

"I don't mind, I like it." Said Alison as Ashley nodded her head in agreement.

"Good, now we can eat." Said Jacob.

After dinner Alison and Ashley went to their room and went to bed but around midnight they were rudely awakened by a screeching yell, that sounded like a wildcat and a jaguar that was in pain.

It made them shudder in fright, but they got out of bed and put on robes and slippers and went to investigate, the noise.

"Are you girls alight?" asked Bruce as they descended the stairs.

"Yes we're alright, but what was that sound?" Ashley asked as Bruce said he did not know.

"It sounded like a wildcat and a jaguar that were in pain to me." Said Jacob as the others, including François who joined them, agreed.

After looking everywhere and finding nothing they all went back to bed.

The following morning after breakfast they made another search and found the some very valuables items have disappeared.

"This is not good, not good at all!" Bruce exclaimed.

"Why?" Alison asked him.

"Just how valuable where they?" Ashley asked.

"Each item is worth three to five thousand dollars; since it was a set of ten items the whole set would be worth, thirty to fifty thousand dollars." Bruce told them.

"THIRTY TO FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!" Ashley and Alison exclaimed together as Bruce nodded his head.

"Just how much is everything worth in this place?" Alison asked a little fearful at what the answer would be.

"They vary depending on what it is. Some are three thousand to five hundred thousand dollars others are three million to fifty million dollars." Bruce to the girls and had to smile at their shocked faces.

"You've got to be kidding." Said Ashley.

"Unfortunately I am not." Said Bruce.

The day came and went and Alison made a search of her own and found that some more items have disappeared, and told the other at dinner.

"Maybe we should make searches every morning aftor breakfast and before dinnor." François suggested that night as everyone else agreed.

Later that night Alison sat in one of the comfy chairs in her room, which was the master bedroom, and thought of the past when her father always, at one time or another, talked about a men who lived in a castle and his name was Remis Ruckus, which according to her father was his nickname of the man who lived in a castle. For years Alison never met Remis Ruckus, just heard about him.

And now her she was in a castle that the late Mr. Reven Ravenswood left to her father and is family, but since her folks were dead the place and very thing her parents owned now belonged to her.

"I wonder if Mr. Ravenswood is Remis Ruckus, the man that father always told me about, that lived in a castle." Alison thought aloud as she looked around her and as her eyes landed on the closet.

"Maybe I'll find something in the closet." She said as she stood up and walked over to the closet and opened the doors and looked at her clothes that she had hung up in it then she looked up at the shelve above the pole her clothes were on and there sat a box which she took down.

"I wonder what's in here." She said as she sat down on the floor, and opened it up and found letters upon letters all addressed to Remis Ruckus from a person known as Freddy Fickle.

"Father said that his friend who lived in a castle always called him Freddy Fickle...these letters are from my father to Mr. Ravenswood!" Alison exclaimed excitedly as she started to look over the letters one by one, until one of them caught her attention.

The letter read:

"_Dear Remis Ruckus, June 21, 1985_

_"I would be happy if you could come to my wedding that is in four days. You would be able to meet my future wife, brother-in-law, and his little sister, and my sister-in-law. Please respond as soon as you can. I hope to see you there._

_Sincerely,_

_Freddy Fickle."_

"This letter is dated four days before my parents were married, it must be an invitation." She said as she picked up another one.

There was another letter that caught her attention as well it was dated a month after her parents' wedding and this letter read:

"_Dear Remis, July 25, 1985_

_"I understand that you could not come to my wedding so, as we had agreed, I would write a letter to you and that I would tell you what happened at my wedding, the reception, and the highlights on our honeymoon._

_"As you know my wife, Abigail, was the most beautiful woman there, her matron of honor was her identical twin sister Alice Thompson Drew, and the other two brides maids where two good friends of theirs, who are cousins. Alice's husband, Carson Campbell Drew, was also there along with his little sister, Eloise Drew._

_"At the reception I spoke to my brother-in-law, his sister, and my sister-in-law. Carson, my brother-in-law, is a lawyer from River Heights and he is every well known as a lawyer. He told me that, so far, he as not lost a case and he aims to keep it that way from many years to come. His little sister is still in college and trying to get a degree in teaching, she plans to teach in all girls' school in New York City. Alice is not sure if she wants a career yet or not, but one thing she is sure of, she wants to have a child._

_Sincerely,_

_Freddy Fickle."_

Alison did not read the whole letter but only the first three paragraphs and was surprised by the fact that she has an uncle and an aunt, who where her mothers sister and her husband, who also has a little sister.

Alison found yet another letter that surprised her, this letter was dated a month after she, herself, was born for the letter read:

"_Dear Remis, September 10, 1986_

_"I know I have not answered your letter that you sent a little over a month ago and I apologize for not doing it sooner, but I have been busy with getting ready. I told you in my last letter I sent you, that Abby was pregnant with our first child; well she just gave birth to our little baby girl._

_"We are both proud of our little angel! We wanted to give her a name that came from my side of the family and my wife's side as well, so we decided to name her after my grandmother, her great grandmother, Alison, which will be her first name and her middle name will be Abigail, after her mother. I know for sure that when my daughter is sixteen years old she will look like a younger version of her mother. My daughter's full name is Alison Abigail Fern._

_Yours truly,_

_Freddy Fickle."_

She was surprised to find it and it confirmed the fact that Mr. Ravenswood was her father's friend he called Remis Ruckus and she found a fourth letter that was also interesting which read:

"_Dear Rem, November 14, 1986_

_"My wife and I just got word from my brother-in-law Carson that Alice just gave birth to their first child. I am not only a proud father but I'm and uncle of a lovely little girl, who is three months younger that our little Alison. And Alice and Carson named her after her grandmother Nancy, who is my mother-in-law._

_"Alison and her cousin Nancy are surprisingly identical, they, when they're older, will look like they are twins even if they are cousins. My niece's full name is Nancy Drew, Alice and Carson where unable to come up with a good middle name so they decided not to give her one._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Freddy Fickle."_

This one was dated three months after the last one.

"I have a cousin? Wait a minute, my friend Emma said, in one of her letters, that a girl named Nancy Drew helped her get her inheritance back after it was stolen from her guardian Mrs. Willoughby! And Nancy is a detective, and she is my cousin! Wow this is weird." Alison said as she stood up.

"Might as well go to bed now, I'll leave the letters out until tomorrow morning." And with that she went to sleep.

Morning came and Alison went down to breakfast, thoughtful.

"What's on your mind now, Alison?" asked Ashley.

"I'm just thinking about something I found out last night." Alison replied.

"What did you find last night?"

"I find out about some relatives that I barely knew anything about."

"Who are they?"

"My mother's sister and her husband who is a lawyer and their daughter, my cousin, who I know is an amateur detective."

"Really? I know two boys who are amateur detectives as well."

"Who are they?"

"Well...you know that I told you I had moved from New York City. These two boys I knew lived there for a few years as well. I knew them for 4 years before they move away to a place called Bayport."

"What are their names?"

"Frank and Joe Hardy. Frank is older than his brother Joe by a year. According to my cousin Callie Shaw, who's Frank's girlfriend, that they work on their own cases and sometimes they help their father, who is a well known private detective."

"Wow three detectives in one family? They must be well known."

"Oh they are, trust me, they are." Ashley said as they finished breakfast and made a search of the castle and found more items missing.

* * *

Two days, and eight hundred thousand dollars of stolen items, later Alison and Ashley walked through the garden out behind the castle, discussing the whole thing from the weird noises at night to the items they find missing in the morning and evening, thinking that Bruce and Jacob where not around; but who actually working nearby and heard every word the girls said.

"I don't like it, Alison," Ashley was saying "this is getting too much for me to handle. I think we should leave."

"I know what you are talking about, Ashley. But we just can't leave here, I have a feeling that whatever or whoever is making the noises and stealing things, is trying to make us do just that." Alison told her friend.

"Make us do what? Leave?" Ashley asked as she stopped walking and looked at Alison.

"Yes." Alison said as she nodded her head as she stopped walking as well.

Bruce and Jacob looked at each other as they continued to eavesdrop on the girl's conversation.

"Then what do you think is making all that noise at night?"

"I think that it is a person who is doing it."

"But why?"

"To make us leave so they can search for something, hidden within the castle walls. And besides Bruce did say that he doesn't know everything about the castle. There might even be hidden passageway that no one knows about and even secret rooms, and there even might be treasure that is hidden that someone; the person who is making all the weird noises and stealing things; is trying to find." Alison said, as she walked to a spot where Bruce and Jacob could see her, as she stared at the castle.

"If that's so, then what should we do about it?" Ashley asked as Alison looked at her.

"We start looking for it, or at least a clue to what, and where, it might be."

"That could take years! And we don't have that much time!"

"I know that." Alison sighed "But we have to do some thing!"

"But what?" Ashley asked as she walked up to stand beside Alison.

"I don't know..." Alison said as they fell silent.

"Why don't we go back inside and put this mystery out of our minds for a while, maybe we can think of something if we clear our minds for a while." Suggested Ashley as Alison said okay and they walked back toward the castle.

"I think the girls might be right about the treasure and about it being a person make all of that noise." Said Bruce as Jacob nodded his head after the girls left.

It was midnight when Alison woke up not really knowing why but she felt that something was not right, she wondered if she was the only one or not.

"Might as well see." She said as she walked out of her room and found Ashley in her bathrobe.

"Did you wake up feeling that something was not right?" Ashley asked as Alison nodded her head

'_So I wasn't the only one, that's good to know.'_ Alison thought before saying aloud "Let's go down stairs and take a look around." As Ashley agreed.

They went down stairs and quietly walked into the dinning room and stopped, for there in the room, was a stranger who threw back his head and let out a yell that made both girls scream. The stranger, hearing the girls scream, turned and ran from the room and Alison ran after him but he suddenly stopped and turned around holding a gun and it was pointed at Alison, who stopped short when she caught sight of the gun. The others ran into the room right as Alison fainted from fright, Bruce managed to catch her as she fell and Jacob ran after the stranger who had run out the front door.

Bruce carried Alison up to her room and put her into her bed, and she came too when Jacob walked in with François behind him carrying a try with five cups on it.

"Are you alright, Madam?" François asked Alison as she sat up.

"Yes, just a little frightened." She admitted.

"Why were you girls up any way?" Bruce asked as Alison and Ashley told the men why they where awake and had gone down stairs.

"I don't like it. That person means business." Jacob declared as everyone agreed while sipping the hot chocolate, that François had made for them.

"But what are we going to do?" Ashley asked, as they thought about it.

Then a wild thought popped into Alison's mind.

"_That's it! Why didn't I think of it sooner! Ashley could call her old friends, the Hardy boys and I could call Jason and email Emma and have her tell my cousin Nancy of the mystery and they can come down here to try and solve it!"_ Alison thought to herself, aloud she said "I know what we can do about this mystery!"

"Really? Well don't keep us in suspense, what is it?" asked Ashley eagerly.

"I was thinking that I could email my old friend Emily, Emmais the name Icall her by,and she could talk to Nancy and see if she could come down here with some of her other friends and I could ask my boyfriend to come down as well; and Ashley you could call the Hardy's and have them come down as well and they could solve the mystery." Alison told them.

"I like the idea. They will be surprised to find that they are coming to a castle." Said Jacob as Bruce and François agreed.

"Then let's do it! Alison why do you call Jason and then you could email your friend Emily, while I call the Hardy's?" Ashley suggested as Alison agreed and soon everyone was sleepy again and decide that that calls would be made the following morning after breakfast and Alison lay back down and fell asleep and the others left quietly and went to bed as well.

* * *

The following morning after breakfast Alison went to the phone and called her boyfriend and he agreed to come down to Greytown Valley, before going to email her friend Emily as Ashley called the Hardy brothers, who were greatly surprised to get a call from Ashley, and they agreed to come down, and Alison had to wait until that evening to hear from her friend Emily, who had spoken to Nancy, who in turn called five other people and then called her back, saying that the seven of them would be coming down to Greytown Valley.

"You should have heard the Hardy's when they found out that it was me." Ashley said with a laugh.

"What happened?" Alison asked.

"Well Frank answered the phone and after he said 'hello?' I said, 'Hi Frank, I have a mystery for you and Joe to solve for me. You probably don't remember me, do you?' and he said 'no not really.' so I said 'I can't believe that you don't remember me! Oh well I can't blame you because we both moved from New York City, anyway I'm Ashley Calhoun, Callie's, your girlfriend's cousin. Remember me now?' and he was silent thinking about what I said and then he yelled 'WHAT! YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!' and I told him 'shut your mouth! No; I'm not kidding, would I joke about who I am!' and he said in a quieter tone, 'sorry' and after a pause then he said 'no I guess not.' Then I heard Joe's voice asking who I was and when Frank told him he too yelled 'WHAT!' and I asked Frank if he wanted to know what the mystery was about or what? And he said yes and Joe, who apparently wanted to know what I was talking about and I told them about our mystery and they asked their folks who said that it was fine with them and Frank told me to give them two days to get ready." Ashley told them with a smile.

"Jason and Emma said to give them two days to get ready as well, Frank and Joe will have to stop at Waterton Heights as well as Emma, Nancy and the others, they'll probably will meet up with Jason at the airport before boarding the plane that's bound here." Alison said.

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**SB: Wow that was long... 12 pages 00**

_Annie: I know that...why are you surprised by it? I TOLD you that it was going to be long._

**SB: Oh yeah...I forgot.**

_Annie: Review and tell us what you think. Bye!_

**SB: Cya!**


	2. Getting together

**SB: We are back!**

_Annie: Yes and with a new chapter too! Sorry for the wait...I had to finish typing this chapter up._

**Sandy at Sea-**Thanks for the Review! I can't help but _BE_ descriptive, that just how I am; and no I didn't know there was another way to spell "dinner" in French. I know that "Madame" is for married women, but this is MY story and THAT'S the way I want it. He's _GUESSING_ that they are _GOING_ to be identical. I know that, but Ashley just wants to be SURE its okay with her father and so he _WON'T_ _WORRY_ about her and know _WHERE_ she is going to be! And this IS my FIRST fic in this section, so sue me if it's bad I KNOW THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE BAD! And thanks again, for your helpful review!

**MzPink-**Thanks for the review! Can't wait to hear from you when you review this chapter!

**Shannon-**Thanks for the review!

**Katie Janeway**-Thanks for the review!

**SB: We don't own anything except Alison, Ashley, Ashley's dad and grandmother, Jason, the post office manager, Bruce, Jacob, François, and Jack. You will find out who Jack is later on in the fic.**

_Annie: In thins chapter we will go back and take a look at how Nancy, Bess, George, Ned, Burt, and Dave react to the invitation to go to Greytown Valley; as well as the phone call the Hardy's got from Ashley in their point of view. Then we'll see how they meet up and I'll stop giving it away. This is going to be another long chapter!_

**SB: Want to know what else happens? Well you'll just have to read to find out. Enjoy!

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The phone rang as a pretty 19 year old strawberry blonde hair girl, who has inquisitive blue eyes, and was wearing a pretty blue dress with matching heels, ran to answer it.

"Hello?" she said as she picked it up.

"Hi Nancy! It's been a long time since I spoke to you." The voice, who was female, on the other end of the phone said.

"Emily Crandall? Is that you?" Nancy asked.

"I see you haven't forgotten me. Yes Nancy it is, I am calling you because I got an email from my pen pal, who I haven't spoken to in three months. She has a mystery on her hands and needs help in solving it." Emily answered.

"What kind of mystery? Tell me everything." Nancy said as she sat down into the chair that was next to the table that the phone was on.

"Well according to Kitty, that's my nick name for her, said that strange things have been going on at her place." Emily started.

"Wait where does she live?" Nancy asked interrupting her friend.

"In Waterton Heights but that's not where the mystery is, the mystery she wants you to solve is in a place called Greytown Valley. She recently inherited a place down there and has gone to check the place out, but the past week there has been strange noises at night and many very valuable items have disappeared, she said one of the items stolen is a set of ten pieces and each piece is worth about three to five thousand dollars!"

"Say that again, how much was one piece?"

"About three to five thousand dollars, I know it's a lot, she said that they are _VERY_ old and valuable. The place she's at looks like, and everything in it, could have come from the 1700's to 1800's in England. She and her friend that came with her are scared practically out of their minds because of the strange noises."

"Why is she asking me to come?"

"I told her about you and she has seen newspaper reports about the mysteries that you and the girls have solved. She also said in her email that she wants you to bring your friends and I'll be going as well."

"Sounds wonderful, I'm meeting Bess and George in town to do some shopping. Do you think she will mind if we bring the boys with us?"

"Of course not! She'll be more than happy to have the boys come!"

"Great! Then I better be get going, I'm already late as it is, I'll call you back after I talk to Bess and George and speak to the boys to see if all six of us can go."

"Okay, talk to you later."

"Bye." Nancy said as she hung up and hurried out the front door and jumped into her convertible and drove off.

Within minutes Nancy was in town and had parked her car and quickly walked into a restaurant where she spotted her two friends.

"Sorry I'm late, girls! But I had to answer the phone." Nancy said as she slid into an empty seat.

"That's alright, we where wondering if you forgot about us." Said one of the girls, who had on a light green dress and matching heels. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and was slightly over weight.

"You know I won't forgot about you, Bess. I had been on my way out when the phone rang, and it was Emily Crandall who was calling." Nancy told her.

"What did she want to talk to you about? It seemed pretty important to make you as late as you are." Remarked the other girl, she had short brown hair and green eyes, she work a green shirt and blue jeans, she was tomboyish in every way, and was Bess's cousin.

"It was, George. How would you girls like to go to a place called Greytown Valley with me?" Nancy asked them.

"Let me guess, Emily has told you about some mystery down in Greytown Valley and you want us to come with you?" Bess asked as Nancy nodded her head.

"Well if it's a mystery there will be an adventure in store as well." George said excited at once.

"And danger." Bess added.

"Emily will be going as well; Burt and Dave can come to." Nancy said naming the two college students that Bess and George were very found of. Both were on the football team at Emerson College and Dave Evans dated Bess, while George went out with Burt Eddleton.

"What about Ned?" George asked knowing that Ned Nickerson was Nancy's boyfriend, who was also on the Emerson college football team with Burt and Dave.

"He can come to." Nancy said smiling before asking, "well how bout it girls? Want to go?"

"How could we not? But we have to talk to our folks, first." Bess said.

"And we'll have to call the boys, too." George pointed out as the others agreed.

"I was thinking that I could call Ned and George, you call Burt and Bess and speak to Dave." Nancy said as the girls agreed and before they left the restaurant, Bess and George call their parents and got permission to go.

The girls went shopping for awhile and then they went to the law office buildings and went inside and up to Nancy's father's office.

Bess and George stayed out side while Nancy went in after Miss. Hanson informed Mr. Drew that Nancy was there.

"Hello Nancy, what can I do for you?" Mr. Drew asked his only daughter.

"I got a call from Emily today before I met up with Bess and George, and she told me that her pen pal has a mystery that she wants me to try and solve, Bess, George, and the boys are aloud to go, Bess and George already have permission to go, we haven't spoken to the boys yet and Emily said that she was going as well." Nancy told her father.

"And you want to go; well...since the boys are going I see no reason for you not to and there isn't anything that I want you to help me on right now." He said.

"Thanks dad!" Nancy said as Miss. Hanson stuck her head in saying that a client was there and wanted to speak to him.

"You can tell me more at dinner, which I'll be late to." Mr. Drew told her as Nancy walked to the door.

"I'll tell Hannah then." She said as she opened the door and walked out.

"Well what did you father say Nancy?" Bess asked, as the man that was waiting to speak to her father walked into his office.

"He said yes." Nancy told them.

"We took the time to call Ned, Burt, and Dave and told them; Burt and Dave were visiting Ned in Mapleton, according to Burt, who had answered the phone, said that Ned's mother was ill and his father had injured his ankle, so he was buys taking care of them." George said as they went down stairs and out to Nancy's car.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What did they say?" Nancy said

"We told Burt that we were going to solve a mystery and they were welcomed to come along. Burt then called out to Ned and Dave and told them about it and Ned came on to the extension and asked what kind of mystery it was." Said Bess.

"We told them what it was about and they agreed to go but Ned wasn't sure if he could go or not, because of his folks, but apparently Mrs. Nickerson must have over heard, for we could hear her yelling at him saying that she was well enough to make the meals and look after his father, but Ned was still hesitating, so Dave who must have been listening with Ned told him to pack like he was going and he would be able to still look after his mom and dad because he thought we wouldn't go right that minute." George continued.

"Then I said to Burt that we had just found out about it and we didn't know when we would go and if the boys wanted to we would call them back after you got done talking with your father and when we decided to leave and they agreed." Bess finished.

The girls talked about it as they went to Nancy's place to talk about when they should go and decided to leave in two days. Nancy called Ned and Dave answered the phone.

"Hello?" came Dave's voice.

"Hi Dave, its Nancy." Nancy said.

"Oh hi Nancy, I'm guessing the girls told you about our conversion earlier."

"Yes they did, I'm calling to say we have decided to leave in two days, that way we have time to pack."

"Great! I'll tell Ned and Burt."

"Tell me and Ned what?" came Burt's voice.

"That we leave in two days." Dave told him.

"Oh. Hi girls!" Burt said before laughing.

"Don't mind him. We're just goofing off a little." Dave said.

"That's okay. Where's Ned anyway?" Nancy replied.

"On the couch sleeping, he was up late and didn't get much sleep. He looked really tired when we arrived and we told him to relax while Burt and I looked after things for a while."

"Okay; have him call me back when he's awake."

"Will do, Nancy. Bye!" Dave said as he and Nancy hung up.

After Nancy hung up the phone she rejoined her friends and talked some more about the mystery and Bess and George left to go home with their things that they bought. And after two hours the phone rang and it was Ned.

"Hey Nancy!" came Ned's voice

"Hey Ned! How's you mom and dad?" Nancy asked.

"They're fine; mother's getting better so I'm going to join you on this mystery." Ned answered.

"That's great!" Nancy said as they chatted about the mystery a little longer and then said good bye before she went up stairs and put a way her new things.

After Nancy was done in her room she came down stairs and walked in to the kitchen and found Hannah.

The housekeeper has been like a mother to Nancy for years ever since her own mother past away when she was three years old.

"Dad will be late for dinner." Nancy said.

"That's alright. I hear you have a new mystery?" Hannah said.

"Yes, it's in a place called Greytown Valley. Emily Crandall has a friend who's been her pen pal for years and she has asked Emily to ask me if I might want to solve a mystery for her. Emily's friend recently inherited a place down there and went to check the place out, but the past week there has been strange noises at night and many very valuable items have disappeared. The place where we are going looks like could have come from the 1700's to 1800's in England. Emily said her friend and friend of hers, that went down with her are scared practically out of their minds because of the strange noises."

"That sounds dangerous."

"Don't worry Hannah, we will be careful, and besides Ned, Burt, and Dave, are going and so is Emily." Nancy said reassuringly. "And that reminds me, I need to call Emily back to let her know that the six of us are going."

Nancy walked out of the kitchen and to the phone and called her friend Emily and told her it was all good and they had decided to leave in two days and Emily was fine with that; and Emily told Nancy that she would email Kitty back and pass the news along.

The phone rang in as a 19 year old boy with brown hair and eyes answered the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi Frank, I have a mystery for you and Joe to solve for me. You probably don't remember me, do you?" came a female voice.

"No not really." said Frank.

"I can't believe that you don't remember me! Oh well I can't blame you because we both moved from New York City, anyway I'm Ashley Calhoun, Callie's, your girlfriend's cousin. Remember me now?" Ashley said, as Frank fell silent for a while thinking back.

Then Frank remembered. "WHAT! YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!" he yelled as a blonde hair and blue eyed boy walked up to Frank.

The other boy looked to be about 18 years old, and he was Frank's younger brother Joe.

"Shut your mouth! No; I'm not kidding, would I joke about who I am!" Ashley said angrily.

"Sorry" Frank said and after a pause he said "no I guess not."

"Who are you talking to?" Joe asked.

"Ashley Calhoun." Frank said simply.

"WHAT!" Joe yelled as he remembered her.

"Do you want to know what the mystery is about or what?" asked Ashley.

"Yes." Said Frank.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked grabbing the phone so he could hear what Ashley was saying as well.

"Well a friend of mine has recently inherited a place down here and came to check the place out, but the past week there have been strange noises that we hear at night and many very valuable items have disappeared. The place I'm at looks like it could have come from the 1700's to 1800's in England. My friend, that asked me to come with her, and I are scared practically out of ours minds because of the strange noises night and the mystery we want you boys to solve is in a place called Greytown Valley." Ashley told them.

"It sound like you two have found a new mystery." Commented their father as they nodded their heads.

"Can we?" Frank asked, as their father glanced at their mother, who nodded, and told the boys that it was fine with them.

"Thanks, dad. It's alright for us to come." Frank said.

"Give us two days to pack." Joe said.

"Okay. See you guys in two day." Ashley said before she hung up.

"I can't believe that was Ashley, we haven't heard from her in years!" Joe said, as Frank agreed.

Two days came and went as Nancy, Bess, George, Ned, Dave, Burt, Emily, Joe, and Frank, got ready and flew down to Waterton Heights, to change planes before going on to Greytown Valley.

"Here we are, in Waterton Heights!" Emily said happily.

"Excuse me, but are you Emily Crandall?" asked a brown haired boy with dreamy blue eyes.

"Yes, and you must be Jason McGraw. Right?" Emily said as he nodded his head.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Alison as told me so much about you." He said.

"I agree; these are my friends who are coming down to solve the mystery." Emily said before introducing the others. "This is Nancy Drew, and her two friends, Bess Marvin, her cousin George Fayne, and their boyfriends, Ned Nickerson, Dave Evans, and Burt Eddleton."

"It's a pleasure to meet you; I'm Alison's boyfriend, Jason McGraw." Jason said.

"Alison?" Nancy asked looking at Emily.

"Alison is Kitty's really name. Her full name is Alison Abigail Fern." Emily replied.

Joe and Frank overheard the conversation and decided to say hello to them.

"Hey Nancy, are you heading down to Greytown Valley too?" Frank asked.

"Yes we...are?" Nancy said confused and looked around before she spotted Frank and Joe Hardy, who were grinning.

"What are you two doing here?" Bess asked them.

"Same as you." Joe replied as they all walked on to the plane that took them down to Greytown Valley and they talked all the way down.

Once the plan landed in Greytown Valley the gang got off and colleted their things and hailed two taxis.

"Where to?" One of the taxi drivers asked them.

"To the Ravenswood estate, please." Jason replied.

"Why are you folks heading down there?" the other asked as they put the girl's, and Jason's bags in the first one and the other boy's bags into the other.

"A friend asked us to come down and help her with something." Emily said as they all got in to the taxis and drove off to Ravenswood estate.

Presently they pulled up into a long driveway and up to a beautiful castle that looked like it came from the 1700's or 1800's in England.

"Is this the Ravenswood estate?" Nancy asked their taxi driver who laughed when he saw the looks on their faces; as Frank asked the other taxi driver the same thing, who also laughed.

"Yes this is the place. Let me guess you weren't excepting it to be a castle, where you?" he said as the gang shook their heads.

"To be truthful I didn't even know that it was a castle all I know that it looked like it came from the 1700's or 1800's in England." Bess said as they got out of the taxis.

The front door opened and Ashley came out looking at them all, before she yelled back inside the castle. "Come on Alison! They're here!"

Alison ran to the door and peered out and spotted Jason.

"JASON!" she exclaimed as she ran down the steps out her boyfriend who gave her a hug and twirled her around before kissing her.

"It's good to see you again, my little chick-e-dee." Jason told her as she laughed at his nickname for her.

"Hey Kitty! Long time on see." Emily said.

"Hey Emma it's good to see you!" Alison said as they gave each other a hug.

"Hey Frank, hey Joe! How are you boys doing?" Ashley asked.

"We're fine, my...you look beautiful Ashley." Frank told her.

"Thanks. Ready to head inside?" Ashley said looking from Frank to Alison who nodded her head.

Alison and Ashley lead the group inside where they met Bruce and Jacob Whitfield, who took their bags up to their rooms as Alison led them into the living room where they sat down to talk about the mystery.

"The noises we hear are always at night around midnight, and we go to investigate the noise and it sounds like a wildcat and a jaguar that is in pain, it's really creepy." Alison started.

"We hear it every single night and we don't find anything when we look, but we know someone is making the noise. And in the morning we make another search and find items missing. One of the items that disappeared was a set of ten items the whole set would be worth, thirty to fifty thousand dollars and each item in the set, is worth three to five thousand dollars." Ashley continued.

"THIRTY TO FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!" the girls exclaimed as Alison and Ashley nodded.

"Just how much is everything worth in this place?" asked Frank, who was surprised at the amount like the others where.

"They vary depending on what it is. Some are three thousand to five hundred thousand dollars others are three million to five hundred million dollars." Alison said as she and Ashley had to smile at their shocked faces.

"You've got to be kidding." Said Bess.

"Unfortunately we are not." Said Ashley.

"The day came and went and I made another search of the castle and found even more items have disappeared and I informed everyone else at dinner, and that was our first day here when it happened. Since then we make searches every morning after breakfast and before dinner." Alison said.

"Four days, and eight hundred thousand dollars of stolen items after we arrived, we talked about what was going on, from the weird noises at night, to the items we find missing in the morning and evenings." Ashley said.

**FLASHBACK...**

"I don't like it, Alison," Ashley said as they walked through the garden out behind the castle not knowing Bruce and Jacob were listening "this is getting too much for me to handle. I think we should leave."

"I know what you are talking about, Ashley. But we just can't leave here, I have a feeling that what ever or whoever is making the noises and stealing things, is trying to make us do just that." Alison told her friend.

"Make us do what? Leave?" Ashley asked as she stopped walking and looked at Alison.

"Yes." Alison said as she nodded her head as she stopped walking as well.

Bruce and Jacob looked at each other as they continued to eavesdrop on the girl's conversation.

"Then what do you think is making all that noise at night?"

"I think that it is a person who is doing it."

"But why?"

"To make us leave so they can search for something, hidden within the castle walls. And besides Bruce did say that he doesn't know everything about the castle. There might even be hidden passageway that no one knows about and even secret rooms, and there even might be treasure that is hidden that someone; the person who is making all the weird noises and stealing things; is trying to find." Alison said, as she walked to a spot where Bruce and Jacob could see her, as she stared at the castle.

"If that's so, then what should we do about it?" Ashley asked as Alison looked back at her.

"We start looking for it, or at least a clue to what, and where, it might be."

"That could take years! And we don't have that much time!"

"I know that." Alison sighed "But we have to do some thing!"

"But what?" Ashley asked as she walked up to stand beside Alison.

"I don't know..." Alison said quietly as they fell silent.

"Why don't we go back inside and put this mystery out of our minds for a while, maybe we can think of something if we clear our minds for a while." Suggested Ashley as Alison said okay and they walked back toward the castle.

**END FLASHBACK...**

"Wow." Joe said, he was surprised at what Alison and Ashley knew just by guessing.

"But that's not all we found out that we were right about it being a person making the noises at night." Alison said.

"Really?" said George as she and Ashley nodded their heads.

**FLASHBACK...**

It was midnight when Alison woke up not really knowing why but she felt that something was not right, she wondered if she was the only one or not.

"Might as well see." She said as she walked out of her room and found Ashley in her bathrobe.

"Did you wake up feeling that something was not right?" Ashley asked as Alison nodded her head.

'_So I wasn't the only one, that's good to know.'_ Alison thought before saying aloud "Let's go down stairs and take a look around." As Ashley agreed.

They went down stairs and quietly walked into the dinning room and stopped, for there in the room, was a stranger who threw back his head and let out a yell that made both girls scream. The stranger, hearing the girls scream turned and ran from the room and Alison ran after him but he suddenly stopped and turned around holding a gun and it was pointed at Alison, who stopped short when she caught sight of the gun. The others ran into the room right as Alison fainted from fright, Bruce managed to catch her as she fell and Jacob ran after the stranger who had run out the front door.

Bruce carried Alison up to her room and put her into her bed, and she came too when Jacob walked in with François behind him carrying a try with five cups on it.

"Are you alright, Madam?" François asked Alison as she sat up.

"Yes, just a little frightened." She admitted.

"Why were you girls up any way?" Bruce asked as Alison and Ashley told the men why they where awake and had gone down stairs.

"I don't like it. That person means business." Jacob declared as everyone agreed while sipping the hot chocolate, that François had made for them.

"But what are we going to do?" Ashley asked, as they thought about it.

Then a wild thought popped into Alison's mind.

"_That's it! Why didn't I think of it sooner! Ashley could call her old friends, the Hardy boys and I could call Jason and email Emma and have her tell my cousin Nancy of the mystery and they can come down here to try and solve it!"_ Alison thought to herself, aloud she said "I know what we can do about this mystery!"

"Really? Well don't keep us in suspense, what is it?" asked Ashley eagerly.

"I was thinking that I could email my old friend Emma and she could talk to Nancy and see if she could come down here with some of her other friends and I could ask my boyfriend to come down as well; and Ashley you could call the Hardy's and have them come down as well and they could solve the mystery." Alison told them.

"I like the idea. They will be surprised to find that they are coming to a castle." Said Jacob as Bruce and François agreed.

"Then let's do it! Alison why do you call Jason and then you could email your friend Emma, while I call the Hardy's?" Ashley suggested as Alison agreed and soon everyone was sleepy again and decide that that calls would be made the following morning after breakfast and Alison lay back down and fell asleep and the others left quietly and went to bed as well.

**END FLASHBACK...**

Everyone was startled to hear what happened on their third night in the castle.

"Why didn't you say anything about this before Alison?" Jason demeaned.

"Because I didn't want to worry you." Alison said softly not looking at him.

"What did this person look like?" Nancy asked gently.

"We didn't get a good look at him because it was dark and we didn't turn on any lights to see." Ashley replied.

"He was tall and muscular, very agile and fast." Said Jacob, who had been listening along with his twin.

Frank sat lost in thought until he paled not liking an idea that he just thought of.

Emily noticed that Frank was pale and looked like he just stepped on a grave and decided to see what the matter was. "Are you alright Frank?"

That caught everyone else's attention as Frank snapped out of it, still not looking happy.

"I was just thinking about someone, I do NOT want to see, hear or even think about." Frank replied as he looked pointedly at his younger brother.

Joe returned his brothers look until he realized who his brother was thinking of and paled as he said "Oh god...not him. Not him"

"Yes him." Was franks reply.

"Him who?" asked Bess, still wondering, along with everyone else, just what the Hardy brother were talking about.

But they didn't answer because just at that moment a bell chimed.

"What was that?" George asked.

"The food bell. It rings three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and at night. And it's time for dinner." Alison explained as they led the way to the dinning room where they all sat down and François brought out the food.

"Good evening, Mademoiselles, good evening Madam, good evening Monsieur Bruce, good evening Monsieur Jacob, good evening Monsieur Jason, good evening Monsieur Joe, good evening Monsieur Frank. Diner is severed." Said François.

"François is French and he always calls the men Monsieur, and all of the ladies Mademoiselle, even the ones who are married, and he will only call me Madame even if I'm not married." Alison said as the other nodded their heads and they ate dinner.

* * *

**SB: Oh no! Who is Frank and Joe talking about and why did Frank say that he never wanted to see, hear, or think about?**

_Annie: Find out in the next chapter! Review! Bye!_

**SB: Cya!**


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